


Goodbye (Is Only For A Little While)

by LokiLover84



Category: Monsta X (Band), VIXX
Genre: Loss, M/M, Major Illness, Mentions of Cancer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 12:08:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18052250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokiLover84/pseuds/LokiLover84
Summary: Minhyuk and Jaehwan form an unlikely friendship, only to face loss in the end.





	Goodbye (Is Only For A Little While)

_ Minhyuk was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of hanging on to a life that didn’t seem to want him. But he clung to it tenaciously, unwilling to let it go. _

 

_ He didn’t want to die. Even as his body failed all around him, he stubbornly hung on, unwilling to miss a moment.  _

 

_ He forced his weak body into a sitting position, swinging his legs over the edge of his hospital bed, pausing for a moment to take a deep breath. Then he slid to his feet, locking the muscles in his legs so that he didn’t fall over.  _

 

_ The half dozen steps to the chair by the window were torture, and he sighed in relief when he sank down. He could feel the world tilt around him, and he closed his eyes, waiting until the sensation faded before opening them again.  _

 

_ He raised his eyes from the floor to the window, and that’s when he saw  _ him. 

  
  
  


It was a good day to be alive. Jaehwan tilted his head back until he was staring into the sapphire sky, dotted with pearls of fluffy white clouds. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of the cherry blossoms that adorned the grounds of the Kim Wonshik Memorial Hospital. He passed said hospital twice a day, on his way to and from school, and somehow it seemed less depressing when the trees put forth their buds. 

 

He dropped his gaze from the sky, instead turning his eyes to the hospital, and started when he saw someone watching him from a ground floor window. The boy was obviously sick, dark circles ringing his eyes that Jaehwan could see even from this distance, and he felt a prick of unease as the boy bent in half, his body shaking with the force of his coughs. When he straightened, his eyes once again falling on Jaehwan, he could almost feel what it cost the boy to simply exist. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, Jaehwan raised a hand and waved, a small smile curving his lips. 

 

It grew to a real smile when the stranger waved back. 

 

From that day on, Jaehwan looked for the boy every morning and afternoon. He didn’t always see him, but he could sense that the boy knew when he was near, and started waving even when the window was empty. 

 

Then, one day, he walked past the window as usual, only to find the boy there with a rolled paper in his hands. He grinned at Jaehwan and then unrolled the sign, holding it up to the window so Jaehwan could read it. 

 

_ My name’s Minhyuk. What’s yours? _

  
  


After that, the notes became an almost daily thing. They exchanged names, favorite colors and foods, and Jaehwan complained about school. Through the signs, Jaehwan learned that Minhyuk was dying, and the sick boy learned that Jaehwan thought of Minhyuk as his best friend. It was a fragile relationship, but one they clung to with all their might. 

 

Then, one day, Minhyuk held up his note and Jaehwan couldn’t miss the tears streaming down his cheeks. 

 

_ I can’t do this anymore, Jaehwan. I’m so tired. Tired of living, tired of fighting. _

 

Jaehwan teared up, answering in the only way he knew how. 

 

_ I know. I don’t want to lose my best friend, but if you need to go, I promise not to forget you. Ever. _

 

Minhyuk nodded. 

 

_ In know you won’t. I won’t forget you either. I could never. But… Can you sneak inside to see me? I just want to meet you once.  _

 

Jaehwan’s jaw clenched and he nodded firmly. 

 

_ Tonight. After dark. I’ll be here.  _

 

It wasn’t easy, getting into a particular hospital room without permission and getting caught, but somehow Jaehwan managed. He simply had to act as if he belonged, as if he had a purpose for being there after visiting hours, and it took a few close calls before he twisted the knob to Minhyuk’s room and slipped inside, closing it softly behind him. 

 

“You came.”

 

Minhyuk’s voice was bright, and it surprised Jaehwan that such a beautiful sound could come from such a destroyed body. 

 

“I said I would. And I’d never lie to you.”

 

Minhyuk smiled brightly as Jaehwan crossed the room to his bed, sinking onto the edge. 

 

“I know. I’m sorry I’m not going to be very good company tonight.”

 

Jaehwan shook his head. 

 

“Don’t be sorry. I’m just glad to be here with you.”

 

They sat in silence for a while, just watching one another, until Minhyuk broke the quiet with a soft question. 

 

“Jaehwan, can I ask you something?”

 

Jaehwan hummed in agreement. 

 

“Have you ever...Kissed someone?”

 

Jaehwan’s cheeks flushed. 

 

“N-not really. I mean, I got dared to when I was younger, but it was just a quick peck.”

 

Minhyuk nodded, seeming to consider. 

 

“I...I know there’s a lot of life that I’ll miss out on, but I think the thought of never being kissed had got to be the worst thing I can think of. So, as my friend, Jaehwan, would you do that for me?”

 

Jaehwan didn’t hesitate, but simply leaned down, brushing his lips over Minhyuk’s, slowly at first, the two of them revelling in the press of their mouths, until Minhyuk swiped the tip of his tongue teasingly across the seam of Jaehwan’s lips. Suddenly, the kiss was deep, and hot, and  _ perfect.  _ It lasted forever, and no time at all, and both knew they’d never forget it. 

  
  


Three days later, Jaehwan raced to the hospital, his heart bursting to tell Minhyuk about his day. But when he drew level with the familiar window, it was to see an empty room, the curtains pushed back, the bed meticulously made. 

 

And no Minhyuk in sight. 

 

_ No. No, no no! _

 

Jaehwan’s head spun as he felt his heart cracking, and he abandoned all decorum and ran to the front entrance, past nurses and doctors, patients and family alike, only stopping when he came to a halt in the doorway of the room where his best friend had been. An orderly was busy putting supplies away in a cabinet, and looked up with surprise. 

 

“Please, can you tell me...Where is Minhyuk?”

 

The man glanced at the bed, then back to Jaehwan with pity. He could tell that the younger man wasn’t family, but he decided that there was no harm in telling the teen the truth. 

 

“He passed away this morning, around ten. I’m sorry.”

 

Jaehwan stuffed a fist in his mouth to stifle his sobs, turned, and fled. 

 

_ I miss you, Jaehwannie. I’m so sorry our time together was so brief. But I said I’d never forget you, and I’m keeping that promise. I never got to tell you, but the short time we shared, I fell in love with you. But, we won’t be apart forever- goodbye is only for a little while. So, I’ll see you soon. _


End file.
